Frozen Flames
by Ash Fire
Summary: WHAT? When did Akito get a girlfriend? How is she connected to the curse? Is she what Tohru needs to end the curse?
1. Introduction Letter

Dear Reader,

If you haven't already clicked on the "next" button to read the actual story in the next page, and instead had decided to read my introduction letter, you will find that they are extremely helpful. However, before I start, I would like to do what every disclaimer does and say that: I do not own** Fruits Basket** (all I own is Sisana. I will only say this once, because I find it unnecessary and annoying to repeat things over and over again). First of all, the original title of this story was called One Key Not Two. I've now changed it into Frozen Flames for a particular reason that you will find out in the later chapters. Before you begin reading Frozen Flames, here is a list of things I would like to mention:

First I must apologies again, about reposting the story. It's been 2 years since I've last worked on it, and after rereading it recently; I've realized that it has too much to improve on that I had to rewrite the whole story. Therefore, I wish to give my readers the best story I can offer, and reposted.

My original penname had been, Winter Lover Fairy, and Fallen Pure Angel. Now, I've decided to settle for "Ash Fire".

If you read my earlier version of this story before, you would know thatAkito in this story is a **male** (since this story is basing on the anime episodes). Therefore, please, don't get send me reviews telling me that Akito is a female and that I need to change it.

I'll be doing a lot of updating, rewriting, improving, changing and twisting the story around as I continue to type. Therefore, I'm slowing down the story a bit, adding more details, since people are telling me that I'm going too fast. In other words, please, if you have time, reread all my chapters whenever I update a new one…

I'm still young, and I still make a lot of mistakes (especially since English is my 3rd language), and it would really, really help me out if you would tell me where I made those mistakes.

Unlike other readers, I won't make demands such as "If I don't get blank number of reviews, I will not update, blah blah blah." As a reader myself, I find it extremely annoying and it makes me not want to review, and I'm already satisfied by the fact that you're reading my story. Although, I must admit, like all the authors out there, the review you give are very helpful and entertaining. I must strongly verify that, whether you review or not, it is completely up to you, but it does but it does affect the length of the time it takes to update, and sometimes, the plot.

Finally, I would like to thank you for reading my letter. I hope you enjoy Frozen Flames!

Sincerely,

Ash Fire

P.S.

There is only one letter in each of my stories, and I might add more things to it while the story continues.

P.P.S

That is NOT how I would normally speak! Just trying to be formal and polite to the people that just happened to stumbled in )


	2. You've Returned

_Glossary_

_Fusuma: Japanese sliding doors._

_Yukata: Kimono for summer._

_Kimono: Casual japanese clothing._

**Frozen Flames**

Chapter one:

**You've Returned**

An elegant Japanese-styled manor watched the busy houses from its hill. There were high protecting walls surrounding that massive land of houses, a manor and its hills. People from those small houses whisper about that strange manor, the manor they call "The Main House". Since birth, they knew that they should avoid it at all cost.

One of the odd things about is that, whenever an important Sohma in Main House dies, the people from that house sends out someone to collect the women who are pregnant that year (for some reason they do not know). Those women will be moved into the Main House, until they find a newborn that they wish to keep. After that they will send the remaining flock of mothers home, while the chosen newborn's family will be moved into a house near the Main House.

No one dares to ask why they were kept there, or why there was always a chosen family. All they know was there is a tradition, that every time one of all the chosen one's parents, will give out a shrilling scream when he or she husband holds the baby for the first time. Then, the infant would be taken to the current Head of the Main House, Master Akito. It is rumored that once the baby is presented to the Master, he or she will have to give him eternal obedience.

All the none-chosen Sohams all secretly wish for this to end, and unknowingly to them, so do many of the Sohams inside the grand manor…

A handsome young man, around the age of 19, leaned against the fusuma staring dully at the cloudy autumn sky His deadly pale skin flashed against the black fluttering yukata, his eyes were like black holes so void; that it seems not even the rays of the sun can reach to its depth. As a chilled wind threw a fallen bloodstained colored leaf onto his dark hair, he caught it and clenched it within his long fingers. Then, he released it, letting the remaining crumbs of that leaf sprinkle into the cold earth. He threw his head back and gave out a sadistic laugh. When, suddenly, a voice interrupted him,

"Master Akito, it is not good for you to leave the fusuma open when you are wearing a yukata," Hatori advised.

"What I do, is no concern of yours," Akito hissed without facing the doctor.

"It does concern me when you are damaging your health," he replied.

The vicious young man turns around, "LAIR!" he screamed, "ALL OF YOU CAN'T WAIT FOR ME TO BE CLAIMED BY THIS ILLNESS! ALL OF YOU KNOW THAT THE PROPHECY SAYS I WILL DIE NEXT YEAR, AT THE AGE OF 20! I AM YOUR GOD, AND YET YOU TREAT ME WITHOUT RESPECT?" he stopped, and his next words made the already chilly autumn air freeze, "leave, Hatori, do not make me remind you of your place again…" The doctor unconsciously ran his hand over the bandage of the deep wound he received not-so-long-ago. Defeated, he walked out the inside fusuma. As he did that, he said softly,

"Master Akito, please, we do care about you…" As he closed the door, a vase was hurtled at the thick wood and shattered onto the floor. The wearied doctor thought, "If only Akito would understand that she didn't purposely leave him…" he gave out a long sigh and murmured, "Sisa, where are you? Akito needs you…"

_Somewhere At a Certain High School_

As the bell rang sharply on 8:00am, the classroom door was opened with a loud screech, and a young woman walked in. She headed towards a tall desk and dropped a pile of papers. She then turned around and said briskly, "Good morning class".

"Good morning, Miss," a third of the class replied. Some of the students were chatting, others were sleeping, and some were even doing last minute homework.

The teacher frowned disapprovingly, just when she was just about to say something, a fierce knock could be heard from the door. The teacher hurried outside the door. Some curious students peered out and saw the principle speaking to the teacher. The young woman nodded and walked back to the front of the classroom.

"Class," she started her eyes twinkling and her cheeks rosy, "I've just been informed that, we have a new student joining us today! Come here, Sisana!" A girl with light chestnut hair curling on her waist, and soft chocolate eyes, walked in.

Yuki felt himself interested at the girl. She looked oddly familiar, but he couldn't remember who she is…

The teacher gave her a warm smile, and kindly asked her, "Sisana, why don't you us give a little self introduction?"

The girl hesitated for a moment before saying, "My name is Sisana. I'm from Canada, I love cats, and I'm the only child in my family."

"Well, Sisana," said the young teacher, "We'll ask someone to show you around…" the teacher scan around the room briefly, before calling out, "Tohru, can you show her around?"

"Of course, Miss," said Tohru as she flashed a welcoming smile to the new classmate.

"Sisana go and sit by Tohru," said the teacher pointing to the desk next to Tohru, "next to her are Yuki and Kyou, I am sure that they will help you out too," Sisana nodded politely, then walked over to her desk and sat down.

The day passed faster than any other day. As Yuki and Kyou were about to walk Tohru home, she hopped next to the new student and asked, "Sisana, would you like me to show you around? There are lots of places that are really fun to visit!"

"It's alright, I already know this place well enough, after all I've only been gone for 2 years…" said Sisana.

Kyou asked surprised, "but aren't you from Canada?"

"Oh, I was born there, but I spend most of my childhood here in Japan, until 2 years ago when we had to move back because of my father's business," she explained.

"Well, a lot of things changed over the past 2 years, if you don't want me to show you around today, perhaps you would like to visit where I live? I can fill you in on what you've missed!" asked Tohru

"Well…" the brunette hesitated, "I suppose it's alright, if it doesn't trouble you too much…" Thrilled, Tohru begged Yuki and Kyou,

"Can she come over? Please?"

Yuki smiled and said, "of course, it's find with me."

"Yeah, sure, just make sure you call that idiot who owns the house." Kyou replied, slightly annoyed at the fact that he couldn't spend more time with just Tohru.

"You guys live together?" Sisana asked surprised.

Yuki quickly and tactfully explained why before Sisana would get too suspicious, " both of Tohru's parents are dead, and all her relatives can't take care of her right now. She's living at our house with permission from her grandfather."

"I see…" Sisana said softly.

"Uh huh, well, I'll go and call Shigure!" Tohru laughed as she ran out the classroom to the payphones.

"Shi…Shigure?" Sisana asked, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"Shigure is our cousin," Yuki explained again, "we live at his house."

Sisana tilted her head and studied him carefully, before studying Kyou. Her eyes widened at the sight of the beads around Kyou's wrist, and at that moment Yuki and Kyou felt quick uncomfortable.

"You… you two… are Sohmas?" although it seemed that she was asking it, her tone was stating it as a fact.

"How the hell do you know?" Kyou asked alarmed, his other hand was unconsciously fiddling with the beads ever since he caught her staring at it. As the girl opened her mouth to reply, Tohru came in jumping in and said,

"Shigure agreed! Come, lets go now!" then she paused, "are you three alright? All of you seem a little… tensed…"

Sisana flashed her a sweet smile and said, "Tohru, I would love to go to your house, but I don't think I have the time today."

"Oh, you must come," Yuki enforced. He wasn't going let such a suspicious girl leave without finding out her true identity.

"yes, our house is lovely, and I bet _Shigure_, would love to meet you." Kyou said purposely rolling his tongue over the word Shigure.

Tohru was so happily caught up by the fact that both Yuki and Kyou wanted her to come, that she failed to understand the meeting beneath. She started begging, "Oh please, Sisana, you must come! I want to show you around that area, it's lovely and…"

Sisana glared at Yuki and Kyou, she knew once Tohru wanted her to come, she would beg her everyday and annoy her until she agrees. "Better get it over with as well," she thought, before saying, "Fine… since all of you are so _eager_, for me to go over, I might as well do."

On the way towards Shigure's house, Tohru told her the story of how she ended up living with the Sohmas. She, of course, while leaving out the Zodiac secret, introduced some of other Zodiacs. Yuki and Kyou watched her carefully along the way, they both noticed the way she raised her eyebrows when she heard that Yuki had reunited with Ayame, smiled about how Haru will never give up on Rin, and how Kisa and Hiro are going out together. She didn't question Tohru why, those things happened, she seems to understand exactly what Tohru was saying.

Kyou and Yuki breathe a sigh of relief when they finally reached the door. As they walked into the house, Sisana scanned around nervously when, suddenly, a familiar voice behind her said, "_hello, hello, my house welcomes such a beautiful girl,"_ as Sisana turned around, Shigure gasped, "Sisa?"

"Sisa?" Tohru, Kyou, and Yuki echoed. Shigure was dazed,

"When did you return?" he asked softly. She smiled gently at him and said,

"Two days ago…"

"Does… Akito know?" Kyou, Yuki, and Tohru were shocked; one thought flew across their mind at the same time "she knows Akito?"

The girl suddenly looked very guilty and whispered, "I was going to tell him after I've settled down comfortably…but I didn't know I would run into you guys so soon."

"But…"

"Ahem!" Shigure was roughly cut off by the sound of Kyou clearing his throat. "Much better now," he said before demanding would you two, explain to me, what the hell are you guys talking about? How did Sisana become Sisa? What's the whole Akito thing?"

"I…well…my friends call me Sisa for short," Sisana answered. At the same time, Tohru wondered if she could call Sisana, Sisa.

"What about Akito?" Yuki asked.

"he…"

"Sisa," Shigure said gently, "I'll tell them, if that's alright with you?" the girl nodded nervously, "Sisa was Akito's girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?" Kyou bellowed.

"Keep it down Kyou, or I won't finish telling you," Shigure calmly said. The annoyed cat glared at the dog, but kept silent. "Sisa changed Akito," the dog turned towards the rat before asking, "remember the time Akito stopped beating you? Although, he wasn't being friendly or anything he pretty much ignored you and allowed you to enjoy yourself."

"Yes…" Yuki said, that was his most treasured memory until he met Tohru.

"Those two were going on rather well, until the day Sisa had to move to Canada. Akito was broken, he thought she left him because she no longer loved him, and he became more violent then ever…"

Sisana looked at him shocked, "oh my goodness, don't tell me…he didn't continue to…?"

"He did," Shigure answered. Sisana looked at Yuki ruefully before saying,

"I'm sorry that I wasn't there to stop him…" Just then, Sisana felt something vibrate through her bag. She took out her cell phone and said, "Hello?"

"Where are you, young lady?" a woman asked angrily "I called your house but no one answered! Do you have any idea how worried we were? We've finally allowed you to move back and live on your own, and you're violating the rules? Don't make your father and I fly over there, and drag you back to Canada!"

"Mother, I'm not violating any rules," Sisana stated annoyed, "all I did was went over to a new friend's house, and you have to call up and scream at me? There is an adult supervising at her house right now, and all of us can hear you screaming through the phone!" The cell phone went silent for a while,

"you're making friends? That' lovely," the woman said, her voice sickly sweet, "well then, I need to sleep now, take care of yourself, my dear!" and she hung up.

"You're living by yourself?" Tohru asked interested.

"Yes…My parents refused to let me go, so we made a deal, she said if my grade can stay A+ all the way through 11th grade, she'll allow me to return here alone." Sisana took a quick glance at her watch and said, "she is right, it's already late, I need to go home now. It's been great to see you all again."

"Why don't we meet again tomorrow? It's a Saturday," asked Shigure.

"Alright, we'll meet tomorrow, bye Yuki, bye Tohru, bye Kyou, and bye Shigure!"

"Bye, Sisa."


End file.
